I liked this book quite a bit, enough to go find her short story collection in the library and read it, too. I liked the exploration of Indian immigraI liked this book quite a bit, enough to go find her short story collection in the library and read it, too. I liked the exploration of Indian immigrants' lives, from first generation through their children growing up as Indian Americans trying hard to be "only" Americans. I saw the movie, too--it's not nearly as good as the book. One of the things that really worked in the book was that the perspective switches around a bit, so you get the chance to know various characters. The main character's mother is particularly interesting. In the movie, unfortunately, she gets very short shrift (as does the main character's white girlfriend, who was fairly nuanced in the book and mostly a stereotype of ignorant spoiled rich girl in the movie)....more

I ran out and bought this book as soon as it was in at my local feminist bookstore, and it turned out Anne bought a copy the same day, within the hourI ran out and bought this book as soon as it was in at my local feminist bookstore, and it turned out Anne bought a copy the same day, within the hour (she was at WisCon)! So we ended up giving one to a friend. I sat up that night and read it straight through, trying not to go too fast, since I didn't want to miss any of the painstakingly, lovingly rendered detail in Bechdel's drawings, nor the multiple levels of meaning in the rich text. There's humor, dry and laugh-out-loud, in this book, and there's also pathos. My heart went out to Bechdel as she wrote and drew about how as a young woman (and even now) she tried to understand her deeply closeted father, his death (suicide? perhaps...), and the meaning of his life--as her father, as a gay person like her and yet not like her (she's been able to live her life honestly, while he was never able to). If you've ever read her strip Dykes to Watch Out For, you'll want to read this book. If you never have but you appreciate literary, serious yet funny, brilliant memoir or graphic books with true artistry in their illustrations, you'll want to read this book. That five-star rating? If I could, I'd give it ten....more

An intense, beautifully written novel set in Argentina during the Falkland War. The protagonist struggles to free himself from his closeted, limited lAn intense, beautifully written novel set in Argentina during the Falkland War. The protagonist struggles to free himself from his closeted, limited life after his mother dies. He finds himself pulled into politics and corrupt business dealings even as he finally explores his sexuality and tries to come to terms with it. Themes of secrecy, honesty/duplicity, individual vs. family, cultural expectations are all carefully interwoven. Toibin is a terrific writer adept at creating a distinctive, believable narrative voice....more

A very well written novel about contemporary life in Pakistan. The narrator is a woman in her 30s who has yet to come to terms with the disappearanceA very well written novel about contemporary life in Pakistan. The narrator is a woman in her 30s who has yet to come to terms with the disappearance of her mother when she was 17 and the death of her mother's partner, a poet whose popularity threatened the government, at the hands of government agents. Her mother was a nationally known feminist activist who defied fundamentalists and inspired many in the women's movement. The story is fiction but has many references to Pakistani history, which I was glad to learn more about. The Poet was a major influence on the narrator; she quotes him and remembers conversations with him from when she was a child. Her relationship with her mother was molded by her mother's many absences from her life, when the Poet would go into exile and take her with him. A fascinating look at contemporary Pakistani life, especially for educated middle-class women, and universal themes of parent-child relationship challenges, coming-of-age dilemmas, coping with grief. Coincidentally, I was finishing the book when former Prime Minister Bhutto was assassinated. It did make me think that the author modeled the mother's character after Bhutto or at least women like her....more

A few good stories in this collection, some of them simply short stories about life in the South, life in a suburban high school, etc. A couple of susA few good stories in this collection, some of them simply short stories about life in the South, life in a suburban high school, etc. A couple of suspense stories that were pretty entertaining. Many of the stories didn't grab me after the first page or two, so I skipped them. A few were quite mediocre. Not McCrumb's best work--more like something she put together at her publisher's urging, based on the fact that her other books have been highly successful. The publisher doesn't seem to have realized that just because most of the stories had been published somewhere didn't mean they were worthwhile....more

Many of her stories are fairly dark, intense explorations of the hardships people endure in the slums of China and as new immigrants to America. The gMany of her stories are fairly dark, intense explorations of the hardships people endure in the slums of China and as new immigrants to America. The glimpses the reader gets of life in China during the Cultural Revolution are fascinating, full of small details like what apartments smell like. The title story is associated with most of the others through the lives of various characters, initially immigrants from China to New York City, some of whom ultimately return to Shanghai to try to rediscover their homeland and maintain the financial and social success they have found in the U.S. The last story is an odd mix of historical events (Three Rivers Gorge dam is about to start operation) and fantasy/mythology (woman turned sturgeon turned river goddess). I enjoy magical realism and fantasy, and Wang Ping is usually an excellent writer, but I'm not sure the last story entirely works. It's more postmodern than I tend to care for, so it may just be my personal bias. But its disjointedness was distracting....more

Not quite as compelling as Summit Avenue, this book was still beautifully written. Sharrat is a master of characterization and getting historical detaNot quite as compelling as Summit Avenue, this book was still beautifully written. Sharrat is a master of characterization and getting historical details right. The plot parallels that of Summit Avenue, with its exploration of women trying to break away from limited gender roles, living on their own in defiance of society's expectations, etc. This book has a slightly darker viewpoint than her earlier novel--more violence, more focus on women's vulnerabilities in a society that forces them to be dependent on men. Still, the major female characters' inner strength wins out in the end, so the message is still hopeful and inspiring. Not that Sharrat, I think, tries for a specific moral--she's too good of a writer for that--but her stories do carry the weight of a complex ethical perspective and a concern for human moral values and how they might hold up against forces like poverty and prejudice....more

A very well written novel about the 1971 war between West and East Pakistan in which many people were brutally tortured and/or murdered and which resuA very well written novel about the 1971 war between West and East Pakistan in which many people were brutally tortured and/or murdered and which resulted in the formation of the independent nation of Bangladesh. After reading Shamsie's books, particularly Kartography (which in part deals with the war from the other side--i.e., West Pakistan), I felt more informed than I might have been about the historical events. The main character is a widow who's had quite a difficult life, despite her middle-class security, even before the war starts. The theme of how much will a parent sacrifice to save her children is explored in interesting ways within the context of essentially a civil and religious war....more

I loved Gloss's Wild Life and (especially) Jump-Up Creek, so I was glad to see she had a new book out. I was a horse lover when I was a kid, despite tI loved Gloss's Wild Life and (especially) Jump-Up Creek, so I was glad to see she had a new book out. I was a horse lover when I was a kid, despite the fact that I lived in a big city and would never own a horse, so this book brought back fond memories of the horses I was lucky enough to ride at camp. Gloss also describes life on ranches and farms in Oregon at the end of World War I, with details of family life, medicine, the harsh treatment both people and animals sometimes underwent, and how women found new opportunities as men left for the war. The surprise of the book for me was how she created a rich subplot based on the issue of anti-German sentiment and its effects on neighborly relations. Gloss clearly did some careful research--on horses, the history of the West, and American society during World War I. A very textured, satisfying read....more

I had mixed feelings about this book once I was done (I wanted to give it 2 1/2 stars). The writing is strong overall, and I found the descriptions ofI had mixed feelings about this book once I was done (I wanted to give it 2 1/2 stars). The writing is strong overall, and I found the descriptions of life in an Arctic town evocative and powerful. The characters are generally all flawed, at least somewhat sympathetic, fascinating people with rich interior lives. Most of the story is marked by violence, sad and lonely deaths, betrayal within families, etc., but still kept me interested in reading it (that is, I didn't get so depressed I couldn't finish it.) But the structure of the book didn't quite work for me. The main storyline is interrupted several times by the diary of a doctor, one of the characters who actually doesn't take part in much of the book's plot except for occasional dramatic events (until the last quarter or so, anyway). When I read in the author's note at the end that the book had started as essays on medicine, anthropology, etc., I thought, "Ah, that explains it." I also thought, "Well, that's too bad. I'd hoped that the doctor's rantings about the evils of 'obesity' were not necessarily the author's opinions." I was annoyed by the junk science and unsubstantiated anecdotes about fat people, etc. The doctor is also clearly an unreliable narrator (he steals morphine from his clinic and uses it on himself to get high), so one wonders if the author thinks we should take his rantings seriously. An odd book, all around....more

Kamila Shamsie is one of the best novelists I've ever read. Period. Her grasp of craft is impressive, especially since she's now only published four nKamila Shamsie is one of the best novelists I've ever read. Period. Her grasp of craft is impressive, especially since she's now only published four novels, this one being her second. Her characters are always multidimensional, and she's not afraid to make her narrator a bit unsympathetic at times (or just good at making mistakes that make you frustrated, even while you keep reading because you want to find out that she fixes them eventually). Her evocation of Pakistan both in 1971 during the attack on what became Bangladesh and twenty-five years later, when Karachi was full of violence and chaos is detail-rich. She doesn't explain everything for readers unfamiliar with Pakistan's history, language, and culture, trusting that they're intelligent enough to figure things out from context (or look up what they don't know!). The few Urdu words sprinkled throughout the text give readers a taste of Pakistani culture, which is clearly multilayered, class-conscious, and deeply influenced by its colonial past. An enthralling novel, a history lesson, a meditation on how the past never goes away....more